Trip 03, Day 3 (Day 24): Millican
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2006
Up to this point, we had had nearly perfect weather. However, there were thundershowers forecast for today, and the sky to the west looked threatening as we drove away from it toward our starting point. Joe started walking about 8 a.m., somewhat earlier than the day before. Again using the moving offset, I picked him up 3.7 miles later before starting my walk.
Starting point: 43.90085 N, 120.98782 W
Ending point: 43.86264 N, 120.77773 W
The overcast was less intense this far east than back in Bend, allowing filtered sunshine to provide just enough warmth for a good walk. I removed my windbreaker after a couple of miles. The scenery out here was best in the panoramic format. Up close, it was nothing but sagebrush and rocks. Pine Mountain dominated a skyline of hills to the south rising from the desert plain. The constancy of the view made it difficult to judge distances.
At 3.7 miles was a place called Millican. Although it appears on the map, it consisted only of an abandoned store (doors open), which we both explored, risking Hantavirus exposure from all the animal droppings scattered around the place. We could see some ranch buildings about a mile south of the highway which probably justified putting the place name on the map.
As the scenery was providing minimal visual variety, I tried looking at the ground. There was almost no money to be found. Instead, there were plenty of rocks, some of them actually interesting. I spotted a nice little agate at one point, and later on some kind of green mineral (gypsum?) that I also pocketed.
Day 3 of any trip seems to be “blister day,” and I took a slower pace as I felt the tenderness in both heels starting to build, hoping I could avoid the problem. I wouldn’t know for a day or two whether this was just wishful thinking on my part.
Walk rating: 5.8
Money found: Day: $.27 Trip: $.67 Project: $11.36
Distance: Day: 11.1 miles Trip: 31.2 miles Project: 219.5 miles
Walking time: Day: 3:35 Trip: 10:04 Project: 82:02
Significance: None.
